Sleeping-eyes for dolls.



0. E. DENIVELLE.

SLEEPING EYES FOR DOLLS. APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 16, I915.

Patented Mar. 28,1916.

INVENTOR zzo ffle/w'a eZ/e A 7TORNEY8 I WITNESSES UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

OTTO E. DENIVELLE. OF MOUNT VERNON, YQIRK.

' SLEEPING-EYES r03. DOLLS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 28, 1916.

Application filed September 16, 1915. Serial No. 50,998.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, OTTO E. DENIVELLE, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Mount Vernon, in the county of Westchester and State of New York, have invented new and Improved Sleeping-Eyes for Dolls, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

' ,One object of the invention is to provide new and improved sleeping eyes for dolls,

arranged to permit each eye to move into open or closed position independently one of the other to insure free movement of the eyeballs.

Another object is to provide a simple and durable construction to allow of manufacturing the dolls head very economically.

In order to produce the desired result, use

is made of metallic sockets cast. into theplastic material of the dolls head, each socket having an opening corresponding to the edges of the eyelids and an eyeball mounted in each socket and having a representation of the iris of'the human eye, at-

tached to the eyeball by way of the saidopening after the parts are assembled, to insure correct location of the iris on the eyeball relatively to the said opening.

A practical embodiment of the invention is represented in the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is across section of a dolls head in upright position and provided with the improved sleeping eyes; Fig. 2 is a like view -of the same with the dolls head in horizontal position and the sleeping eyes closed;

. Fig. 3 is a similar view with the dolls head in upwardly inclined position; Fig. 41: is a sectional rear elevation of the dolls head on the line 4-4.0f Fig. 1; Fig. 5 is across section of a portion of the dolls head at one of the eyes and with the'eyeball removed;

and Fig. 6 is an enlarged cross section of one of the eveballs.

The dolls head 10 is made of a suitable plastic material andisprovided at the eye openings 11 with spherical-sockets 12, preferably of metal cast into-the material of the head 10, at the time the latter is in a plastic condition in the mold so that the sockets 12 on the hardening of theplast o material are securely fastened in posit on in the head 10 and are not liable to shrink thus forming a proper bearing for the eyeballs 13. Each socket 12 is provided at the front with an opening 14 of almond shape with the edge corresponding to the edges of the eye opening 11, that is, to the edges of the eyeballs; Centrally through the edges of the eyeballs 13 extends a pivot 15also passing through the side walls of the corresponding sockets 12 so that the eyeballs 13 are securely held in place and the eyeballs. are axially mounted to turn in the sockets 12. The ends of each pin 15 beyond the sockets 12 are embedded in the plastic material of the head 10 to aid in holding the sockets 12 in position in the head 10. Each socket 12 is slightly in excess ofa hemisphere so that the rear portion of each socket is open. Each of the eyeballs 13- is provided with a counterweight 16, preferably in the form of a nail, the angular point of which is soldered I or otherwise fastened to the rear of the eyeball 13 so that the counterweight 16 ex-' tends downward, as iplainly indicated in the drawings. It will be noticed that by the arrangement described, the weight 16 is free of the socket 12 to turn the eyeball 13 freely in the socket 12 whenever the head 10 is moved from a vertical position into horizontal or rearwardly inclined position or vice versa.- When the head 10 is held in upright or forwardly inclined position, as

shown in Figs. 1 and 3, then the counters weight 16 abuts against the rear edge of the and the portion of the eyeball body 19 above the disk 17 isprovided with a coating 19 of flesh color so that when-the eyeballs 13 are in' sleeping position, as shown in Fig. 2, then this flesh colored coating appears in the opening 14 thereby giving a natural appearance tothe sleeping eye. The disk 17 as well as the coatings 18 and 19 are preferthe eye.

Q memes ably covered with a coating 20 of transparent varnish to give the desired luster to In the manufacture of the dolls head the eyeball 13 is provided with the coatings 18 and 1.9 after which the parts are assembled by mounting the eyeballs 13 on the pivot 15. The operator now holds the dolls head 10 in upright or forwardly inclined position, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3, so that the counterweights 16 abut against the sockets 12, after which the operator fastens the disk 17 to each eyeball 13 by way of the opening 14: so that the disk 17 is accu-- vI'ately located relatively to the opening ll the dolls head. is placed in horizontal posi tion the disks 17 disappear from the open ings 14 and the flesh colored coating 13 appears within the said openings thus giving the doll a sleeping appearance.

, From the foregoing it willbe seen that by I embedding the metallic sockets 12 in the plastic material of the head 10 and mounting the eyeballs 13 in the said sockets the eyeballs are at all times free to turn thusim suring a. quick opening and closing movement of the eyes when moving-the head '10 from vertical into horizontal position or vice versa. It will also be noticed that by the use of the metallic socket 12 the shrinking of the plastic material during the setting thereof does not cause a shrinking of the sockets and consequently the eyeballs l3 are not liable to bind in the sockets. I

Having thus described my fmvention, I

claim as new and desire to secure by Letters 1 Patent:

ing one end embedded in-a side wall oflthe I head, ametallic cupeshaped eye ball loosel I mounted on each pivot-rod, each eye bal havinga printed representation of the iris: of the eye and provided at the sides and bote tom of the iris with a coating of white enamel and above the iris with a coating of; flesh color; and counter-weights having angular ends secured to the inner faces of the eye balls so as to project downwardly and to engage the eye sockets to limit the opening movement of the eye balls.

' 2. A dolls head provided with eye sockets cast in the material otthe head, pivot rods passing through the sockets, and. each have ing one end embedded in a side wall of the head, a cup-shaped eye ball loosely mounted on each rod in the socket, and counterweights having angular. ends secured to the rear inner faces of the eye balls, said counterweights extending downwardly and adapted to engage the said sockets to limit the .opening movement of the eye balls when the a head is held either inan upright 'or for-, wardly inclined positlon.

In testimony whereof I'have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses,

OTTO E. DENIVELLE. Witnesses:

MoLLm Batman, 7 JOSEPH L. KALLUB. 

